Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Empire Harmony’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Empire Harmony’, characterized by its uniformly mounded plant habit; decorative-type inflorescences that are about 4.2 cm in diameter; attractive two-tone bronze ray florets; and numerous inflorescences per plant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora andreferred to by the cultivar name Empire Harmony.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in New York Mills, N.Y. The objective of the breedingprogram is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars havinginflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms and floret colors andgood garden performance.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the Inventor inOctober, 1994, of the Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Sunny Linda(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,145) as the female, or seed, parent with anunidentified proprietary seedling selection as the male, or pollen,parent.

The cultivar Empire Harmony was discovered and selected by the Inventoras a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in acontrolled environment in New York Mills, N.Y., in September, 1995. Theselection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence formand ray floret color.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in New York Mills, N.Y., has shown that theunique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced trueto type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Empire Harmony has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Empire Harmony’. These characteristicsin combination distinguish ‘Empire Harmony’ as a new and distinctcultivar:

1. Uniformly mounded plant habit.

2. Decorative-type inflorescences that are about 4.2 cm in diameter.

3. Attractive two-tone bronze ray florets.

4. Numerous inflorescences per plant.

The new Chrysanthemum is similar to the Chrysanthemum cultivar GlowingLynn (disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,038). However in side-by-sidecomparisons under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemumdiffered from plants of the cultivar Glowing Lynn in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are fuller and more flexible thanplants of the cultivar Glowing Lynn.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about one week earlier thanplants of the cultivar Glowing Lynn under natural season conditions.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower more uniformly than plants ofthe cultivar Glowing Lynn.

4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum have yellowish centerswith dark red apical margins giving a two-tone bronze appearance whereasray florets of plants of the cultivar Glowing Lynn are more uniformlybronze in color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of thenew cultivar.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Empire Harmony’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Empire Harmony’. Thesephotographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible toobtain in colored reproductions of this type. Floret and foliage colorsin the photographs may differ from the actual colors due to lightreflectance.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown in Leamington, Ontario, Canada,under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercialgarden Chrysanthemum production. One rooted cutting was planted in a15-cm container on Jul. 20, 1998 and plants were grown outdoors undernatural season conditions. Measurements and numerical values representaverages for typical flowering containers.

Botanical classification: Deandranthema grandiflora cultivar EmpireHarmony.

Commercial classification: Decorative-type garden chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female or seed parent.—Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Sunny Linda,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,145.

Male or pollen parent.—Unidentified proprietary seedling selection.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.—Seven to ten days with soil temperature of 21° C.

Rooting habit.—Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.Inverted triangle. Stems initially upright, then outwardly spreadinggiving a uniformly mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branchingwith lateral branches potentially developing at every node, whenpinched, about 10 laterals develop.

Plant height.—About 30 cm.

Plant spread.—About 45 cm.

Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 4.2 cm.Width: About 4.1 cm. Apex: Mucronate. Base: Attenuate to truncate.Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses divergent. Texture: Upper surfaceslightly pubescent; lower surface, moderately pubescent. Veins prominenton lower surface. Petiole length: About 1.5 cm. Petiole diameter: About3 mm. Color: Young foliage upper surface: 147A, glossy. Young foliagelower surface: 147B. Mature foliage upper surface: 147A, glossy. Maturefoliage lower surface: 147B. Venation upper surface: 147A. Venationlower surface: 147B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with oblong-shaped rayflorets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage, arising fromleaf axils. Disk and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.One inflorescence per terminal with numerous inflorescences per plant,about 10 to 12 per lateral stem.

Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower inlate September in the Northern Hemisphere about 74 days after planting,and flower for at least three weeks depending on weather conditions.

Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About 5 mm. Diameter:About 7 mm. Phyllary color: Close to 141A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4.2 cm. Depth (height): About 1.5cm. Diameter of disc: About 2 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Oblong. Length: About 1.9 cm. Width: About 5 mm.Apex: Dentate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Orientation:Initially upright, then horizontal to slightly downward. Number of rayflorets per inflorescence: Typically more than 200. Color: When opening:Apex, close to 185A; mid-section and base, initially greenish to closeto 12A. Opened inflorescence: Upper surface: 13A to 13C overlain with185A, 185A fading with development; margins maintain reddish colorationlonger than centers giving a two-tone appearance. Lower surface: Closeto 12C to 14C with reddish, 185A, overtones.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, apex dentate. Length: About 4.5 mm. Width:Apex: About 1.5 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: Typically less than five. Color: Immature: 154A. Mature:Apex: 9A. Mid-section and base: Greenish white.

Peduncle.—Aspect: Flexible, angled about 35° to the stem. Length: Firstpeduncle: About 5.4 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 9.4 cm. Diameter: About 2mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Close to 141A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 9A. Pollen: Scarce. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and discflorets.

Disease resistance: Resistance to known Chrysanthemum diseases has notbeen observed on plants grown under commercial production conditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Empire Harmony’, as illustrated and described.